Effects of different analgesic methods on postoperative pain and immune function in elderly patients after abdominal surgery

Objective To explore the effects of different analgesic methods on postoperative pain and immune function in elderly patients after abdominal surgery. Methods One hundred and seventeen elderly patients were divided into two groups according to stratified sampling method. 58 cases were given patient-controlled intravenous analgesia postoperatively, and other 59 cases were given epidural analgesia. Changes of immune function and VAS were observed in the two groups at different time after abdominal operation. Results VAS decreased significantly at each time points after operation in the two groups (P<0.05) . The levels of CD3 +, CD4+, CD4+/CD8+, NK cells and IL-2 were significantly decreased at the end of operation and 1st day after operation, and increased to the levels before operation at 7th day. The level of IL-2 was significantly decreased and IL-10 was significantly increased at the end of operation and the 1st day after the operation, then all indexes were recovered to the baseline levels at 7th day in the two groups. Conclusion Patient-controlled epidural analgesia (PCEA) and intravenous analgesia (PCIA) both can effectively relieve postoperative pain, and improve the immune function in elderly patients after abdominal surgery. Key words: Analgesia, patient-controlled; Analgesia, epidural; Infusions, intravenous; Pain, postoperative; Immune, cellular; Aged